Automobile door lock



Sept. 13, 1966 A. MoRAczEwsKl AUTOMOBILE DOOR LOCK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 14, 1964 pil 1 Il INVENTOR. ARTHUR MO RACZEWSKI BW ,E7/L AMM United States Patent O 3,272,544 AUTOMOBILE DOR LOCK Arthur Moraczewski, Detroit, Mich., assigner to Ferro Manufacturing Corporation, a corporation of Michigan Filed Jan. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 337,624 4 Claims. (Cl. 292-216) The present invention relates to an improved automobile or truck door lock of highly simplied construction, and very rugged and reliable in operation.

It is an object of the invention to provide a lock ot this description including an improved and simplified latch and lock control assembly which is mounted on the free end face of the vehicle door which faces the usual frame door post or pillar, such assembly including a latch unit coacting with a striker or keeper unit on said post or pillar.

In accordance with the invention, the latch and lock assembly has its parts carried by a sheet metal mounting plate including a base portion engageable with the end door face mentioned above and a flange portion eX- tending at 90 to the base portion; and in further accordance with the invention, there is a forked latch member .pivoted on the outer side of the base portion for coacting with the `striker or keeper, while the other side of said base portion, i.e., inwardly of the door, carries a toothed latch member pivotally swingable with the forked latch under the control of a detent also pivotally mounted on the mounting plate base portion.

This general arrangement of latch, latch control detent and striker members is presently known to the art, however, in further and more specific connection with the invention, the detent controlling the toothed latch member carried by the base portion of the mounting plate is in turn controlled by a novel combination of locking arm or lever and remote or inside operator-controlled arm or lever, both pivotally mounted upon the llange portion of the mounting plate.

In this combination of locking and remote control members, the former includes an element movable into and out of blocking `relation to an element of the detent, and unlocking and locking elements located on opposite sides of the lock lever pivot, being respectively spaced away from the blocking element of the lock lever in the mentioned order. For direct coaction with this locking arm or lever, the remote or inside operator-controlled arm or lever, as medially pivoted upon the mounting plate ilange, comprises a contactor or actuator element engageable with said detent blocking element, an unlocking element engageable with the unlocking element of the lock lever, and a locking element engageaible with the locking element of the lock lever. As in the case of the locking arm or lever, the unlocking and locking elements of the remote control arm or lever are spaced on opposite sides of its medial pivot to the plate ange, and are at lesser and greater distances from the contactor or actuator element in the direction Vaway from the latter, respectively.

In further accordance with the invention, the remote control lever is operated at a point between its medial pivot and its locking element by means of a suitable inside or remote control linkage. The contouring of the locking and remote control levers is such that, assuming the lock to be in a locked condition with the blocking element of the lock lever obstructing latch releasing movement of the detent, a movement of the remote control linkage in one direction will rst cause the remote control lever Ito unlock the locking lever, acting at the unlocking elements of these respective parts, following which further movement of the remote control lever in the same pivotal direction causes its operator or contactor element to engage the detent element and swing the same to latch releasing position.

Patented Sept. 13, 1966 ICC By the same token, a swing of the remote control arm or lever in the opposite angular direction will contact its locking element with that of the locking lever (both on opposite sides of the respective lever pivots from the unlocking elements), thus swinging the locking lever op positely about its pivot to the operative locking position of the blocking element relative to the detent.

In still further accordance with the invention, the arrangements of pivots and operating connections are such that a strong moment arm mechanism advantage may be exerted through the remote control lever on the locking lever and detent in unlocking the former and unlatching the latter in that order.

In still further accordance with the invention, the positioning of the locking arm or lever relative to the detent is such that `the bolcking element of the former may not move into obstructing and locking relation to the blocked element of the detent, except when the detent is in an operative latching and holding position, the lock lever blocking element being itself blocked from movement to blocking and locking position by the detent itself when the latter is in a position other than its latch hol-ding position.

The foregoing as well as other objects will become more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, wherein:

FIG. l is a side elevational view, as from line 1-1 of FIG. 2, of the improved locking lever and remote con trol lever components of the lock, as pivotally mounted on the ange of a mounting plate for coaction with detent and latch means pivotally mounted upon the base of that plate;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view, as from line 2-2 of FIG. l, showing toothed latch and detent components pivotally mounted upon the base of the mounting plate in a manner to be controlled by the lock and remote control components of FIG. 1, latching or holding and unlatching or releasing positions of a toothed latch member and the detent of the lock being respectively shown in solid and dot-dash lines;

FIG. 3 is an external end view, as from line 3 3 of FIG. 1, illustrating coacting latch means and keeper or striker means of the lock of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top plan View, as from line 4 4 of FIGS. l and 2.

The improved lock of the invention, other than its pillar or post-mounted striker or keeper means, is mounted upon a stamped sheet metal mounting plate 10, which is conventionally characterized by an upright flat base portion 11 and a flange portion 12 at 90 to the base, with the base 11 mounted in usual fashion ush with the free outer end face of the door and the ange 12 along the inside panel surface of the door. Generally considered, the lock comprises (FIGS. 1 and 3) a latch unit, generally designated 13, pivotally mounted on the exterior of the mounting plate base 11, a detent-controlled latch holding and releasing unit 14 pivotally mounted on the opposite or inner side of base 11 (FIGS. 1 and 2), and a combination of locking arm or lever 15 and remote or inside operator-controlled lever 16, both medially pivoted on the mounting plate tlange 12 for coaction with the detent of unit 14 in an improved manner to be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the latch unit 13 is of a type illustrated and described in the copending application of Joseph Pickles, Serial No. 302,910, filed August 19, 1963, and now abandoned, hence needs only general illustration and description herein. Latch unit 13 comprises a forked latch 18 which has arms 19, 20 straddling a keeper pin 21 iiXed to and projecting at 90 from the usual door post or pillar (not shown). Pin 21 has an enlarged outer head 22; and as the latch 18 is pivoted within a housing 24 (secured to plate base 11) by means of a short shaft or stem 23 appropriately journaled on the base 11, the overhang of the striker pin head 22 relative to the latch arms 19, and the overhang of these arms relative to a wall 25 of housing 24 afford multiple resistance to separation of the door from the post or pillar in the direction of the plane of the door, all as further illustrated and described in the Pickles application identied above.

In the usual manner, a spring-urged wedge or take-up block 27 is mounted within a small housing 28 fixed to the door post above keeper pin 21, the block 27 being engageable with an upper portion 29 of latch housing 24 to take up and prevent vertical movement of the latch relative to the door, in a known way.

FIGS. 1 and 3 show the keeper pin and take-up housing parts 21, 28 as -being mounted to a plate 30 which is in turn mounted to the door post or pillar. As indicated, the latch housing 24 is fixed to the mounting plate base 11 as a component part of mounting plate 10.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the latch holding and detent unit 14, as mounted upon the side of plate base 11 opposite from the latch unit 13, comprises as one of its parts a toothed latch holding member 32 secured on stern or shaft 23 to rotate or swing as a unit with latch 18. Holding member 32 is formed to provide a radially extending, primary holding tooth 33 and, in angularly spaced relation `thereto counterclockwise about the axis at 23, a stop projection 34 of considerably greater radial extent than tooth 33. Latch holding member 32 also carries a secondary or safety abutment 34. A relatively strong coiled torsion spring 37 is secured at its inner end 4to the latch stem or shaft 23, encircling the latter and its outer end extending through an aperture in the mounting plate flange 12 for an anchor or reaction connection at 38 to the latter. Features of the latch holding member 32, per se, constitute no part of the present invention, but it will be observed in FIG. 2 that member 32 is a detentheld in the solid line position by means to be described, and that upon withdrawal of such means it will be snapped counterclockwise lby spring 37 to .the dotted line position, in which its stop projection 34 engages the mounting plate ange 12 to limit its further movement.

The second component of the holding and releasing unit 14 is a detent, generally designated 40, which is pivoted on plate base portion 11 by a pin 41. Detent 40 has three integral arms, one of which is a depending arm 42 having a holding pawl 43 `of substantial thickness, since it is the basic load restraining element of unit 14 and the lock as a whole. A second arm of detent is an operator or contactor arm 44 provided with a laterally extending ear 45 for engagement by an outside operator (not shown) to unlatch the lock, while a third arm of detent 40 is horizontal and offset at 46 to afford a portion or element normally entering into an opening 47 in the plate base 12, but adapted to `be blocked against such movement by an element or portion of the lock lever 15, in a manner to be described, thus .to place the lock in a locked condition. The arm 46 is also adapted to be operated by the remote control or inside operated arm or lever 16, likewise `in a manner to be described.

Referring to FIG. 2, upon outside `actuation of the detent 40 at its ear 45, the detent is swung clockwise from its solid line holding position to the dotted line retracted and latch releasing position, assuming that the locking arm or lever 15 is not in its detent blocking and locking position which appears in FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 best shows the outline of both the locking and remote control levers 15, 16. The lever 15 is of very irregular outline, characterized lby a medial area 48 at which it is pivotally mounted upon the mounting plate flange 12 by means of a pin 49. Beneath this pivot the lever 15 is conventionally shaped to provide a cam surface at 50 and an opposed projection at 51 which are engaged by a key-operated locking and unlocking element 4 52 journaled on base 12 to respectively unlock and lock the lock.

Directly above its ypivot at pin 49, the locking arm or lever 15 is provided with a 90 offset lug element 54, which is engaged by remote control operated arm or lever 16 to unlock the lock; and on the opposite side of the pivot at 49 the locking lever 15 presents an edge nose element at 56 which is engageable by the remote control operated lever 16 to lock the lock, when the last named lever is swung oppositely of its direction of swing in both unlocking and unlatching the lock.

Directly above the unlocking lug element 54 thereof, and somewhat offset at 58 from the basic plane of lever 15, the latter is provided with an integral upright blocking and locking finger or element 59.

The blocking element 59 is, when lever 15 is in operative position, disposed transversely across the end of the detent arm element 46, being interposed between the outer end of said arm element and the mounting -plate flange 12, across the opening 47 in the latter, thus blocking the movement of detent 40 in a clockwise direction (FIG. 2) such as would Shift detent pawl 43 from latch holding position (solid line) to latch releasing position (dotted line). An edge of the locking lever 15 extending downwardly from the blocking finger or element 59 is relieved or inclined at 60 to permit a yshift of that element counterclockwise (FIG. 1) about the lever pivot at 49 to an unblocking and releasing position, in `which position the lever 15 will have stop engagement along edge 60 with the inner surface of the base 11 of mounting plate 10.

The remote or inside operated arm or lever 16 of the lock is, as best shown in FIG. 1, medially pivoted by means of a pin 62 on the mounting plate flange 12. Like locking lever 15, it has an unlocking formation or elbow element 63 above the Pivot at 62, which in this instance is in the form of a convexly rounded edge of lever 16. The latter has an arm 64 depending from piv-ot 62 which is at its bottom extremely formed to provide a laterally offset lug element 65 to engage the locking portion or element 56 of lock lever 15; and the lever arm 64 is provided between element 65 and pivot pin 62 with a pin type of connection 66, to which an inside operated or remote control linkage (not shown )is attached for the operation of lever 16 from the interior of the vehicle.

Remote control lever 16 is laterally offset at 68 away from mounting plate ilange 12 (FIG. 2) and inwardly of the locking lever 15, from which olfset 68 the remote control lever 16 extends upwardly to terminate in a contactor or operator hook element 69. Element 69 is adapted to downwardly engage the arm element 46 of detent 40, thus moving the latter to the dotted line release position of FIG. 2, when lever 16 is suciently swung counterclockwise (FIG. l) by the remote control linkage (not shown), assuming that locking lever 15 is not in the position of FIG. l. However, if it is in that locking position, upon counterclockwise swing of lever 16, its unlocking element or formation 63 will rst engage the offset lug element 54 of locking lever 15 to swing the latter counterclockwise and unblock detent element 46, following which further swing of lever 16 in the same direction will engage its actuator -or contactor hook 69 with detent element 46 to unlatch the lock.

It is to be observed in FIG. l that the respective locking and remote control ylevers 15, 16, as individually pivoted at 49 and 62 on mounting plate flange 12, are in common characterized by elements 59, 69 at one end or the top thereof which respectively block the detent element 46 and engage the latter to unlatch the lock; by unlocking elements at 54 and 63 on the same, lower side of the elements 56, 69, which engage to unlock the lock prior to unlatching; by medial pivots to the mounting plate flange at 49, 62, respectively, and by locking elements 56, 65, respectively, which are engageable to lock the lock from the vehicle interior. In each case the inside J operated unlocking elements 54, 63 and locking elements 56, 65 are, in that order, less and more remotely spaced from the detent blocking and operating elements 59, 69.

Thus the lock of the invention, particularly by reason of its special and novel combination of locking and remote control levers, individually pivoted on the plate ange 12, on parallel but laterally spaced axes,'is one of considerable ruggedness and reliability in action, with desirable moment arm distances from the respective lever pivots for the effective transmittal of force from an inside or remote operated linkage to the several detent actuator, unlocking control and locking control elements of the respective levers 15, 16.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a door lock, a support, la detent having means mounting the same on said support for movement into and out of latching engagement with a latch unit movably mounted on said support, detent operating means to unlatch the lock including a detent operating member medi- `ally pivoted on said support, and means to lock the lock including a locking member medially pivoted on the support on an axis paralleling but laterally spaced from the medial axis of said detent operating member, said locking member having a locking element movable therewith into and out of position to prevent movement of said detent out of latching engagement with said latch unit, an `unlocking control element movable therewith by which the locking member is actuated out of said position, and a locking control element movable therewith by which the locking -member is actuated into said position; said locking, unlocking control and locking control elements being located on said locking member in spaced relaltion to one another in that order along the latter, said detent operating member having an operating element movable therewith to engage tand move said detent out of latching engagement with said latch unit, an unlocking control element movable therewith and in position to actuate said first named unlocking control element, `and a locking control element movable therewith and in position to actuate said rst named locking contro-l element; said operating, unlocking control and locking control elements of the detent operating member being located in spaced relation to one another along the latter, the: unlocking and locking control elements of said detent operating member unidirectionally and respectively `facing those of said locking member in an arrangement such that the unlocking control element of the detent operating member actuates the unlocking control element of the locking member prior to movement of said detent out of said latching engagement by said operating element of said detent operating member.

2, The do-or lock of claim 1, in which the respective locking and unlocking control element-s of said locking and detent operating members are on opposite sides of the respective pivotal axes of said members.

3. The door lock of claim l, in which said locking element of said locking member prevents: movement of the detent out of latching engagement with the latch unit by blocking movement of the detent.

4. The door lock of claim l, in which said locking ele- -ment of said locking member prevents movement of the detent out of latching engagement with the latch unit by blocking movement of the detent, the respective locking and unlocking control elements of said locking and detent operating members being on opposite sides of the respective pivotal axes of said members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,706,130 4/1955 Roethel 292-280 2,738,212 3/1956 Wise 292-280 2,777,720 1/1957 Roet'hel 292-280 EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examier.

RICHARD E. MOORE, Examiner. 

1. IN A DOOR LOCK, A SUPPORT, A DETENT HAVING MEANS MOUNTING THE SAME ON SAID SUPPORT FOR MOVEMENT INTO AND OUT OF LATCHING ENGAGEMENT WITH A LATCH UNIT MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT, DETENT OPERATING MEANS TO UNLATCH THE LOCK INCLUDING A DETENT OPERATING MEMBER MEDIALLY PIVOTED ON SAID SUPPORT, AND MEANS TO LOCK THE LOCK INCLUDING A LOCKING MEMBER MEDIALLY PIVOTED ON THE SUPPORT ON AN AXIS PARALLELING BUT LATERALLY SPACED FROM THE MEDIAL AXIS OF SAID DETENT OPERATING MEMBER, SAID LOCKING MEMBER HAVING A LOCKING ELEMENT MOVABLE THEREWITH INTO AND OUT OF POSITION TO PREVENT MOVEMENT OF SAID DETENT OUT OF LATCHING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID LATCH UNIT, AN UNLOCKING CONTROL ELEMENT MOVABLE THEREWITH BY WHICH THE LOCKING MEMBER IS ACTUATED OUT OF SAID POSITION, AND A LOCKING CONTROL ELEMENT MOVABLE THEREWITH BY WHICH THE LOCKING MEMBER IS ACTUATED INTO SAID POSITION; SAID LOCKING, UNLOCKING CONTROL AND LOCKING CONTROL ELEMENTS BEING LOCATED ON SAID LOCKING MEMBER IN SPACED RELATION TO ONE ANOTHER IN THAT ORDER ALONG THE LATTER, SAID DETENT OPERATING MEMBER HAVING AN OPERATING ELEMENT MOVABLE THEREWITH TO ENGAGE AND MOVE SAID DETENT OUT OF LATCHING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID LATCH UNIT, AN UNLOCKING CONTROL ELEMENT MOVABLE THEREWITH AND IN POSITION TO ACTUATE SAID FIRST NAMED UNLOCKING CONTROL ELEMENT, AND A LOCKING CONTROL ELEMENT MOVABLE THEREWITH AND IN POSITION TO ACTUATE SAID FIRST NAMED LOCKING CONTROL ELEMENT; SAID OPERATING, UNLOCKING CONTROL AND LOCKING CONTROL ELEMENTS OF THE DETENT OPERATING MEMBER BEING LOCATED IN SPACED RELATION TO ONE ANOTHER ALONG THE LATTER, THE UNLOCKING AND LOCKING CONTROL ELEMENTS OF SAID DETENT OPERATING MEMBER UNIDIRECTIONALLY AND RESPECTIVELY FACING THOSE OF SAID LOCKING MEMBER IN AN ARRANGEMENT SUCH THAT THE UNLOCKING CONTROL ELEMENT OF THE DETENT OPERATING MEMBER ACTUATES THE UNLOCKING CONTROL ELEMENT OF THE LOCKING MEMBER PRIOR TO MOVEMENT OF SAID DETENT OUT OF SAID LATCHING ENGAGEMENT BY SAID OPERATING ELEMENT OF SAID DETENT OPERATING MEMBER. 